Deadly trash slide prompts possible suspension of Davao City landfill - DENR

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported that a sanitary landfill in Davao City faces possible suspension, as the local government pushes to accelerate stabilization measures at the site following a trash slide that killed one person, injured two others, and left two missing on Wednesday afternoon.

“The DENR and the LGU have been working together on the technical and regulatory requirements for months. This incident reinforces the need to accelerate slope stabilization and the safe closure plan,” DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said on Thursday.

According to the agency, the collapse occurred at around 1:10 p.m. in the active disposal area of the facility in Barangay New Carmen, Tugbok District.

The incident left one casualty, a 31-year-old resident of Purok 8, Barangay New Carmen, two injuries involving a 16-year-old male and a woman, while two missing senior citizens aged 78 and 67 are being searched by authorities.

The DENR reported that search and rescue teams from the Bureau of Fire Protection, 911 Urban Search and Rescue, the City Engineer’s Office, and barangay responders were deployed to the landfill, though unstable ground conditions limited access to the site.

Meanwhile, before the landslide incident, the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Region XI held technical meetings with the city government on 20 January and 4 March, which later issued a Notice of Violation to the landfill operator on 19 March.

The meetings found that the landfill was operating without a discharge permit, failing to meet effluent standards, and maintaining an inadequate leachate treatment system.

The DENR recommended that the landfill undergo corrective measures, including slope stabilization, partial closure of certain sections, and the relocation of households within the 200-meter buffer zone.

The landfill receives an average of 786 tons of waste per day and is nearing full capacity, according to authorities.

Cuna noted that the agency and the Davao City government are committed to ensuring that waste facilities in the city are safe, compliant, and resilient.